Mental counters as an online tool for assessing working memory capacity

Working memory capacity (WMC) describes an individual's ability to focus their attention in the face of interference which allows them to actively maintain and manipulate information in immediate memory. Individual differences in WMC predict a wide range of psychological constructs. The development of online measures can enable data collection from broader, more diverse samples than those typically collected in person in laboratory settings. In addition, logistical challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have mandated the need for reliable and valid remote assessments of individual differences that are both culture-fair and less susceptible to cheating. This study reports details of a new online version of a Mental Counters task that takes only 10 min to collect and provides evidence for its reliability and convergent validity with other measures including Picture Span and Paper Folding.